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Jasmuheen

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Jasmuheen in 2008

Jasmuheen (born 1957 as Ellen Greve) is an Australia-based proponent of 'pranic nourishment' or breatharianism, defined as the practice of living without food or fluid of any sort[1]. She appears at New Age conferences and conducts spiritual retreats in many countries which are in part funded by the sale of her books and audios.

Biography

Ellen Greve was born in 1957 in New South Wales, of post-war Norwegian migrant parents. She married and had two children. Thereafter, Ellen developed her financial and business management skills, working full-time in the industry. From 1992, she began to combine her experience in business and finance with meditation, selling access to workshops and seminars on the topic and, by deed poll, changed her conventional, two-word name for the more esoteric 'Jasmuheen'. Jasmuheen maintains her own website, from where she promotes her many books."Jasmuheen Published Work". website. Jasmuheen. 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-09-28.

Breatharianism

Jasmuheen has never claimed to be a breatharian, she simply says that she has access to an alternate source of nourishment called prana. When the Australian television programme 60 Minutes challenged her to demonstrate how she could live without food and water, the supervising medical professional Dr Beres Wenck found that after just 48 hours, Jasmuheen displayed the physical symptoms of acute dehydration, stress and high blood pressure.[2] Jasmuheen claimed that this was a result of 'polluted air'. On day 3, Jasmuheen was moved to a mountainside retreat about 15 miles from the city, where she was filmed enjoying the fresh air she said she could now live on happily. However, as the filming progressed, her speech slowed, her pupils dilated and she lost over a stone (6 kg) in weight. After 4 days Jasmuheen acknowledged that she had lost weight, but stated that she felt fine. Dr. Wenck stated "You are now quite dehydrated, probably over 10%, getting up to 11%." The doctor also announced, "Her pulse is about double what it was when she started. The risks if she goes any further are kidney failure."[2] Jasmuheen's condition continued to deteriorate rapidly in the clearly demonstrated context of acute dehydration, despite her insistence to the contrary. Dr. Wenck concluded that continuing the experiment would ultimately prove fatal. The film crew concurred with this assessment and ceased filming.

She is quoted by the Correx Archives as saying, regarding how much she eats:[3]

Generally not much at all. Maybe a few cups of tea and a glass of water, but now and then if I feel a bit bored and I want some flavour, then I will have a mouthful of whatever it is I'm wanting the flavour of. So it might be a piece of chocolate or it might be a mouthful of a cheesecake or something like that.

Jasmuheen has stated that she has lived on approximately 300 calories per day for the last fourteen years, maintaining full health through supplementing a fluid intake with 'cosmic particles' or micro-food, which she describes as prana. Jasmuheen has also stated that she has not yet mastered the ability to be fluid-free for more than short periods.

She was awarded the Bent Spoon Award by Australian Skeptics in 2000 ("presented to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle").[4] She was also awarded the 2000 Ig Nobel Prize for Literature for her book Pranic Nourishment — Living on Light, "which explains that although some people do eat food, they don't ever really need to."[5]

Jasmuheen states that some of her beliefs are based on the writings and "more recent channelled material" of the Count of St Germain.[6] She states that her DNA is expanding from 2 to 12 strands to take up more hydrogen.[3] The extra strands of DNA have not been demonstrated, and in fact when offered $30,000 to prove her claim with a blood test, she stated that "you cannot view spiritual energy under a microscope." She claims that such a challenge is a deliberate attack on her beliefs, and refuses to act as an example of her claimed paranormal attributes.[3]

In 2005, James Randi offered her the James Randi Educational Foundation $1 million prize to demonstrate her claims.[7]

Deaths

Three deaths have been directly linked to breatharianism and her publications.[8] Jasmuheen has denied any moral responsibility for this. In reference to the death of Lani Morris, for example, she said that perhaps Morris was "not coming from a place of integrity and did not have the right motivation."[8] Verity Linn starved herself to death and her "diary mentioned the teachings of self-proclaimed prophet Jasmuheen who believes people can draw nourishment from the 'divine life force in the form of liquid light'."[9] After an investigation by the Australian and British police, Jasmuheen was not charged in connection with these deaths. She was also fully investigated in 1999 by British Cult Investigators who were unable and unwilling to label her a cult leader[citation needed], although the French government department 'Miluvides', which is responsible for investigating cults and sects in that country, stated in 2006 that her ideas were dangerous and exploitative.

Jasmuheen (on a superseded but still available website) attempted to distance her writings from the death by dehydration of keen believer Verity Linn, whose body was found in a tent with little but a sleeping bag, her clothing and one of Jasmuheen's books. Jasmuheen wrote "If you haven't found the light that will nourish you, you may have the intention to become a breatharian, but in fact you may be putting yourself through food deprivation. There is one known case where a person died when trying to become a breatharian." [2]

Publications

  • The Prana Program — Eliminating Global Health & Hunger Challenges
  • Harmonious Healing and the Immortal's Way
  • The Law of Love & Its Fabulous Frequency Of Freedom
  • The Food of Gods
  • In Resonance
  • Pranic Nourishment — Living on Light
  • Ambassadors of Light — World Health & World Hunger Project
  • Divine Radiance: On the Road With the Masters Of Magic
  • Four Body Fitness: Biofields & Bliss
  • Co-creating Paradise
  • The Madonna Frequency Planetary Peace Program

References

  1. ^ "Guru condemned as 'dangerous'". BBC. 6 April, 2000. Retrieved 2008-10-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Fresh-air dietician fails TV show's challenge". Yahoo News. 25 October 1999. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  3. ^ a b c Willis, Paul (1997). "Jasmuheen — Can people live on nothing but air?". Interview with Jasmuheen (transcript). Correx Archives. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
  4. ^ Barry Williams (2000). "Bent Spoon Winner 2000 - Jasmuheen". Bent Spoon winners. Australian Skeptics. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  5. ^ The 2000 Ig Nobel Prize Winners[1]
  6. ^ "All they need is the air ..." BBC News. 22 September 1999. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
  7. ^ "I'll Bet She Eats". James Randi Educational Foundation. 1 July 2005. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  8. ^ a b Walker, Tom (26 September 1999). "Three deaths linked to 'living on air' cult". The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved 2006-12-09. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Scotland: "woman starved herself to death"". BBC. 6 April, 2000. Retrieved 2008-10-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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